N.S. man attacked, robbed in roadside scam

A Nova Scotia man will be thinking twice about pulling over to help someone in need after he was attacked by two individuals who appeared to be in distress on the side of the road.

Joey Matheson was driving to work Monday morning when he was flagged down by the pair, who seemed to have stalled.

“When I was coming down this road I noticed there was a car parked…with his lights and a man waving me down frantically,” says the Shortts Lake resident.

It was still dark out and difficult to see, but Matheson pulled over and got out of his car to assist the pair.

However, instead of expressing gratitude for Matheson’s help, the pair attacked him.

“As soon as I got out, the man got a hold of me and another man hit me with a stick.”

Matheson was struck with the stick several times and then held at knifepoint, all the while thinking about his two-week-old son and fiancée.

One of the men then ran to Matheson’s car and stole $400 from his wallet.

“After the guy who was in my car took the cash, they came back and that’s when I got even more concerned,” says Matheson. “Because why are they still beating on me? Why aren’t they just taking off with my money?”

Matheson eventually grabbed one of the men and was able to fend him off long enough to run away. He then ran to his car, called 911, and phoned his family.

“I was panicking. I was terrified,” says his fiancée Desiree Mason. “I instantly started freaking out and bawling.”

Matheson spent the morning in hospital but only suffered a few bumps and bruises.

He is now warning others to be on the lookout for similar roadside scams.

“I want people to know that these two guys are out there and it happened to me,” he says. “What will stop them from doing it to someone else?”

Police are investigating the incident.

Matheson says the two suspects are white men who appear to be in their late thirties or early forties. They drove a silver or grey compact car.

Matheson admits that with $400 gone, money will be tight this Christmas, but says the incident has shown him what is truly important and will allow him to appreciate time spent with his family even more.